Upcoming conferences to meet the OnQ Software team

Conference trail update for first half of 2020:

- ACannabis (Melbourne) - March 2nd to 4th - PharmOut Australian Medical Cannabis Conference (Melbourne) - March 23rd to 24th - Future Labs (Melbourne) - June 15th to 17th Please feel free to come and speak to us about QLIMS, Clarity LIMS, digital pathology and anything lab informatics. There will be some exciting overseas locations in the second half of the year to in conjunction with our distribution network. hashtag

What to look for when using a LIMS to help with ISO 17025 for starters

This blog will give you an introduction into the basics of ISO 17025 and just some of the requirements which LIMS can help with.

What is ISO 18025?

ISO 17025 is a laboratory accreditation standard that all testing and calibration laboratories vie to achieve to prove their technical competence in performing an array of testing, calibration and measurements for standard, non-standard and laboratory-developed methods.

As the accreditation is almost entirely lab-centric, it comes as a no-brainer that a Laboratory and Information Management System (LIMS) has an important role to play. The central idea of ISO 17025 is recording everything that happens in the lab in terms of technical quality; as such traditional record-keeping methods like Excel, Access DB and paper do not 'cut-it' anymore. While for a LIMS this is part of its basic core functionality. 

Why do you need accreditation in the first place?

To ensure quality of course! An ISO 17025 accreditation helps labs to improve their reputation among current and prospective clients, gain a competitive advantage, meet international compliance standards and ultimately reduce costs. With such an accreditation in place your lab is effectively providing prospective clients with the assurance that it is strongly committed to providing quality products.

What are some of these requirements?

How is a LIMS going to help you?

• End to end sample data tracking can be monitored via a comprehensive audit trail that records every single change made to a sample

• Keeps track of all staff training records and qualifications to ensure that staff are certified to conduct the testing

• Tracking the maintenance and calibration of instruments as well as notifying lab staff when they use an instrument that is out of calibration

• CFR 21Part 11 compliance provides that added level of quality to have an e-signature where validation of tests and test results are concerned

• An inventory management system for tracking all lab consumables, including quantities, expiry dates, supplier information and MSDS’s 

• Managing, maintaining and updating SOP’s

• Automatically generate CoA’s

• Tracking chain of custody by recording what testing the samples have been sent out for, where they have gone and when they are due back

• CAPA (complaints and preventative actions) functionality can assist users in recording any major incident at the lab as well as the corrective and preventative actions in place to resolve the incident

As the ISO standards and regulatory requirements for analytical labs are constantly evolving, there is a need to implement a quality management system that can keep up with these requirements. Especially with increasing sampling numbers Excel and paper-based methods are no longer able to meet the demanding requirements for an ISO 17025 certification. The best method to meet these challenges is turning to automated solutions, like LIMS, that eliminate mundane tasks that exploit valuable resources.

Water Outlook integration added to QLIMS

OnQ Software is pleased to announce the release of our new off the shelf integration to WaterOutlook, an operational data management system, to combine lab results with data from SCADA and field staff.

The addition to our integrations catalogue allows customers to maximise the use and benefits of both LIMS and WaterOutlook by allowing data to transfer securely and easily between the two. They may then use the data to make better decisions while having the peace of mind that the integration is fully supported.

See below workflow on how the integration works:

Q LIMS to WaterOutlook workflow

About WaterOutlook:

The WaterOutlook cloud-based system is a unique 'one stop shop' for operational data and reporting. As an operational and compliance management tool, it provides real time information on how plants are operating and gives instant alerts to issues that would otherwise take several days to filter through.

Now all your operational and compliance data can be in the same place.

Designed by the industry for the industry and used by 60% of New Zealand Local Government, it is easily operated via a web portal or mobile device. WaterOutlook allows users to know on a daily basis how their utilities are performing within operational and consent parameters.

WaterOutlook has no vested interest in the data.

WaterOutlook is a data storage and transport system and do not use Council data for secondary income streams such as consultancy. This means WaterOutlook maintains the highest level of audit integrity and eliminates any question of conflict of interest in data service provision.

For enquiries on the integration please contact us via our website or if you’re an existing customer, through the support portal.

Benefits you should bank on by using a LIMS

For our final blog post of 2019 we thought to give some information for those either investigating whether to buy a LIMS or perhaps who have one, but feel they aren't maximising their return on investment (ROI) some food for thought.

LIMS should generate solid ROI and below are key areas:

With constant advances in technology the needs of a laboratory are frequently changing, but what remains constant is the need for end-to-end traceability of samples, data processing capabilities and report generation. This is where a LIMS comes in, it assists laboratories in monitoring workflows, managing data and inventory, assigning tasks, storing data and automating the reporting process.

Whether clinical, analytical or research, all laboratories operate under a time constraint of having to provide information to a customer, client or management as business decisions are then made based on that information. To make such information available instantly is nearly impossible without a LIMS, traditional methods of record-keeping using excel or paper-based files makes it impossible to source the required data.

A LIMS provides a whole array of advantages, as summarised in the infographic below:

• Flexible enough to ensure compatibility with customer requirements and the ability to scale up  based on evolving lab needs

• Seamless tracking of samples across the entire sample life cycle, from sample accessioning, testing, result entry, report generation, storage and/or disposal

• Ensures repeatability by enforcing standard operating procedures

• Efficiently managing the calibration and maintenance of instruments 

• Flexible integration facility for easy exchange of data between instruments and other systems

• Managing staff training, qualifications and competency

Therefore, any good LIMS would have the following capabilities:

A LIMS therefore provides a central platform for all laboratory activities, improving overall operational efficiency by driving a paperless laboratory approach. The main advantage lies in reducing human error through its ability to interface with chromatographs, mass spectrometers, analysers and other instruments resulting in the direct transfer of test results into the LIMS. Moreover, all this data is stored in a secure central database as opposed to notebooks and spreadsheets, therefore retrieving information is fast and easy.

Whether you are looking to conduct a batch analysis, re-print 3-year old COA's or view trends in sample throughput over a 10-year period, the data can be extracted and visualised with the simple click of a button!

Wish everyone a safe and happy holiday period from the OnQ Software team and we look forward to re-engaging in 2020!

OnQ Software at ALMC 2019

Will be exhibiting at the Australasian Laboratory Management Conference held at Rosehill Gardens, Sydney between 11th-13th November 2019

Come and visit us at Booth #14 to gain further insight on how a Lab Grown LIMS can assist your Laboratory Operations!

Catch Nick Gannoulis, Managing Director of OnQ Software, provide an exciting presentation on "Agile Implementation for LIMS Business Intelligence"

See you there!

Target Analysis S.A. is the new QLIMS distributor in Greece

We are pleased to announce that renowned solution provider of the scientific sector, Target Analysis, will be adding QLIMS to their product portfolio and be our new sales distributor in Greece.

Adding QLIMS to their portfolio fits in with their vision to provide quality services that will highlight Target Analysis SA as a Total Solution Provider for the supply and after sales support of scientific equipment and software.  

Their product range includes: pre-owned systems, analytical instruments, consumables & spare parts, laboratory equipment, software, solvents & chemicals, by a wide network of internationally recognized manufacturers.

In conjunction with ELBIS's establishment of the QLIMS support centre in Thessaloniki, this partnership now puts Greek laboratories in the unique position of having local access to:

• a highly trained sales team - Target Analysis
• a quality LIMS solution available in Greek - QLIMS
• local support and technical service – ELBIS

-------------------------------For the Greek version see below--------------------------

Η Target Analysis είναι ο νέος διανομέας QLIMS στην Ελλάδα

Είμαστε στην ευχάριστη θέση να ανακοινώσουμε ότι ο γνωστός προμηθευτής λύσεων του επιστημονικού κλάδου, η Target Analysis, θα προσθέσει το QLIMS στο χαρτοφυλάκιο προϊόντων και θα είναι ο νέος διανομέας πωλήσεων στην Ελλάδα.

Η προσθήκη του QLIMS στο χαρτοφυλάκιό τους ταιριάζει με το όραμά τους να προσφέρουν ποιοτικές υπηρεσίες που θα αναδείξουν την Target Analysis SA ως Παροχέα Συνολικής Λύσης για την παροχή και υποστήριξη μετά την πώληση επιστημονικού εξοπλισμού και λογισμικού.

Η γκάμα των προϊόντων της περιλαμβάνει: προ-ιδιόκτητα συστήματα, αναλυτικά όργανα, αναλώσιμα και ανταλλακτικά, εργαστηριακό εξοπλισμό, λογισμικό, διαλύτες & χημικά, από ένα ευρύ δίκτυο διεθνώς αναγνωρισμένων κατασκευαστών.

Σε συνδυασμό με τη δημιουργία του κέντρου υποστήριξης QLIMS της Θεσσαλονίκης από την ELBIS, η συνεργασία αυτή θέτει τώρα τα ελληνικά εργαστήρια στη μοναδική θέση της τοπικής πρόσβασης σε:

• μια εξαιρετική καταρτισμένη ομάδα πωλήσεων – Target Analysis
• μια λύση ποιότητας LIMS διαθέσιμη στα Ελληνικά - QLIMS
• τοπική υποστήριξη και τεχνική εξυπηρέτηση - ELBIS

New QLIMS European Support Centre

OnQ Software and ELBIS are proud to announce the opening of the new QLIMS European support centre and LIMS centre of excellence.

The centre will be based in Thessaloniki, Greece at the offices of leading Greek electrical engineering and IoT development company, ELBIS.

We are happy to leverage ELBIS skills and reputation for providing excellent customer support to ensure QLIMS customers have the best experience possible.

The centre of excellence will allow for:

• Provision of support and technical services to European QLIMS customers
• Showcase of next generation technologies and integrations relating to LIMS 

For example, ELBIS IoT and QLIMS integration:

For full details of the announcement - click here